Raspberries deliver a tart twist to this icy upgrade of the classic Cosmo. Here’s how to nail it.
About the cocktail
There are some indisputable truths in this world: Mum is always right, rock music hit perfection in 1974, and drinks are never as fun as when they’re frozen. That last one is the idea with our Frozen Raspberry Cosmo, which takes the classic Cosmopolitan – a simple blend of vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime – adds the tart, fruity freshness of raspberries, a lick of sugar and blitzes everything together with ice. It’s a Cosmo giving a sly wink to the Frozen Daiquiri and 7-Eleven Slurpee. And considering the big berry flavours and icy-smooth texture, we think this cocktail will play a major role in your summer plans. The original Cosmopolitan dates back to the 1930s, but it only started getting properly big in the ’80s. By the time Sex and the City hit our screens in the late ’90s, the Cosmo was mainstream. One of the reasons for that eventual popularity (besides the signal-boosting of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte) is that it’s an easy cocktail to mix, using just a few simple ingredients. Our icy upgrade doesn’t really add to the degree of difficulty, either – raspberries and sugar syrup are supermarket staples. As long as you’ve got a blender or a NutriBullet, you’re made in the shade, which, incidentally, is the ideal place for this frosty number on a hot day.
Ingredients
40mL vodka
20mL triple sec 30mL cranberry juice 10mL lime juice 15mL sugar syrup ¼ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen ½ cup ice Glass: large coupe or wine glass Garnish: fresh raspberries and mint sprig
Method
Pop your glass into the freezer to chill Add all ingredients to a blender – a NutriBullet will work well, too Blitz for 30 seconds or until the ice is broken down and incorporated into the mix. You might like to add more ice, depending on the consistency you're after Pour it out into your chilled glass Garnish with the fresh raspberries and mint
Dan’s top tips
This might be called a Frozen Raspberry Cosmo, but the raspberries aren’t a deal breaker. Any berry, fresh or frozen, will work well here, so if you’re sitting on a swag of blueberries or strawberries, use ’em. Just remember that raspberries have a natural tartness that we’re offsetting here with sugar syrup. Some berries will be naturally sweeter, so you might want to adjust the sugar levels to suit. Taste as you go to be sure. Speaking of sugar syrup, you can always buy a bottle, but it’s easy to make your own. Just combine one part sugar and one part water in a saucepan over gentle heat and stir until combined. When it cools, you’ll have a proper sugar syrup that cost you next to nothing and will last for several weeks in the fridge. As with all blended drinks, smaller ice cubes are best. Big cubes can be tough for a blender to break down and you might end up with a chunky consistency, rather than the intended velvet frost. You can also adjust the ice ratio to suit your own tastes since more ice will make this drink thicker and more slushy-like.
image credits: Kayla May (photography), Bridget Wald (stylist).
